Building block or tile



July 22, 1930. A. H. STAMM 1,771,275

BUILDING amen on TILE Filed May 4, 1929 H 311mm Gttotmq PatentedJuly 22, 1930 PATENT OFFICE ALFRED H. STAMM, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS BUILDING BLOCK OR TILE Application filed May 4,

This invention pertains to hollow building blocks or tiles. More particularly the invention has to do with building blocks so constructed that water which may chance to,

get into a wall constructed therefrom will be directed away from the sides of such wall into a central path within the latter.

One of the objects, therefore, is to construct a building block or tile having a form where by water will be made to flow down a fixed and common path throughout a wall constructed therefrom and thereby a dry wall surface at the inner or plaster side.

Another object is that of manufacturing a building block which, while having the above object in view, will have no tongues or projections of any nature extending beyond the plane of any one of its outer surfaces.

Still another object is that while especially forming a building block so that parts thereof will be directed downward whereby water will be made to take a fixed path within a wall constructed therefrom, such parts will ,lie within the plane of any wall surface of which they are parts. In the appended drawing forming part hereof,

Figure 1 is a representation of a building block constructed according to my invention, being illustrated in perspective.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the block and parts of other blocks as laid up to form a wall, and

Figure 3 is an end elevation of a slightly modified form of the block produced on a reduced scale from that in Figure 2.

Building blocks which may be used for directing water in a definite path down through a wall have usually been constructed with flanges or projections extending beyond the outer faces of their walls. Such blocks are easily laid up in building a straight wall with no corners, but when corners are to be turned in order to carry a. wall at it is clear that the flanges or projections must be broken away to form a flush block-surface in order that the blocks can all lie at the same level and that the mortar joints will be uniform in character and position.

It is my purpose that while a block may an angle 1929. Serial No. 360,567.

have the water directing -feature its outer surfaces shall all be flat surfaces or at least shall have no projections extending beyond those surfaces, and that may be handled and laid as easily as a brick or the common form of plain cement block.

In the drawing the block of my invention includes the upper and lower walls 1 and 2 respectively, and the side walls 3, and may have also a center wall 4 connecting said walls 1 and 2. The upper wall 1 about midway between the side walls 3 has a depressed portion 1 so created as to form a groove 5 extending longitudinally of the block, the thus depressed portion, as in Figures 1 and 2, being merged into the said central wall 4. Or, as in Figure 3 this said portion 1 may terminate in more or less of a point 5v overhanging and spaced from the opposite or lower wall 2. I

The lower wall near the middle thereof is upwardly extended, or extended toward the opposite wall, at-an angle at two spaced positions, creating projections 6, and between these the wall is downwardly formed and terminates in a point 7 substantiallyv central of the blocks width, and when the'wall 4 is used a groove or channel 8 results at each side of such wall, whereas in Figure 3 an open groove or channel 8' is the result.

It is to be especially noted that the point 7 lies within the block, or at least does not extend outside the outer surface of the wall 2, and that the mortar surfaces of both walls 1 and 2 are plane surfaces except for the depressions therein caused by creating the inwardly formed wall portions 1 and 6. The block may therefore be laid as easily and neatly as a brick or other type of building unit having flatsides. but at the same time the block has the advantage of directing water in a fixed and definite pat-h. Thatis to say. should water find its way upon or into the built-up wall it will naturally flow to the lowest position on any block, that position being the groove 5. In following the slant of the wall portion 1' the water will flo down the wall 4 to the point 7 or into the channels 8, perhaps, and on down into the groove 5 of the block next below and so on throughout dealer and manufacturer alike.

the height of the wall. constructed according to Figure 3 the water will drop from the point 5' into the channel or groove 8', leaving by way of the point 7 as before.

In addition to the fact that the motor surfaces of the block have no projections to interfere with neat and quick construction of a wall while having the water guiding advantage. other advantages are that in storing and shipment the blocks can be more readily stacked in any position, there are no projections that might be broken off during extremely rough handling, and manufacturing difficulties are reduced to a minimum, all of which advantages appeal to the mason,

Furthermore, in locations where water is not con tended with the blocks may be laid either side up as in laying brick. for example, since there are no projections necessary to be engaged in correspondingly placed grooves in order to use the blocks at all.

Again. as constructed, the block even when Or, as the block is not laid perfectly level will direct water centrally downward through the wall since in reaching the groove 5 the water must either travel down the wall 4, or drop from the point 5, Figure 3, into the broad channel or groove 8 of that figure.

I claim:

1. A hollow rectangular building tile having part of its top mortar-receiving wall depressed centrally below the plane of its inner or under surface along a line substantially paralleling the side walls creating a groove in the top surface of said top wall and an extension within the inner space of the tile, the lower wall having a portion thereof at each side of the center longitudinal line thereof extended into the space of the tile toward the top wall creating a groove extending substantially centrally of the tile, that portion of the said lower wall between the named portions beneath the resultant groove being pendent and terminating substantially in the plane of the lower or outer surface of said lower wall.

2. A hollow rectangular building tile having a substantially flat upper wall and a substantially flat lower wall, the upper wall being depressed along its middle in a line paralleling the side Walls creating a groove therein and forming an extension inward from the inner surface of said wall within the space of the tile, the lower wall having a portion extended into said inner space at each side of the middle line of such wall and substantially paralleling the said side walls, and

.said lower wall between the named portions being depressed toward its outer surface forming a groove in said inner surface, and said wall havin an extension on its outer surface terminating within the outer confines of said outer wall.

3. hollow rectangular building tile having a substantially fiat upper outer wall surface and a substantially flat lower outer wall surface, said outer surface of the upper wall having a groove therein along its median line paralleling the side walls, and said wall having an extension within the space of the tile opposite and paralleling the line of the groove, said lower wall having a groove in its inner surface within the innerspace of the tile paralleling the roove of the upper wall, and said lower wallaaving a V-shaped extension on its outer surface below and paralleling the groove, the extremity of the extension lying clear ofthe wall and terminating within the outer confines of the same.

4. A hollow rectangular building tile the outer surface of each of whose upper and lower walls is substantially flat, the said upper wall having a groove in and extending along the outer surface paralleling the side walls, said upper wall having a V-shaped extension within the inner space of the tile extending toward the lower wall below the plane of the inner surface of said upper wall, said lower wall having a portion thereof extended into the said inner space at each side of the median line thereof paralleling the extension of the upper wall, and having a depending substantially the confines of such lower wall, and a connecting wall extending between the upper and lower walls in line with the extensions of those walls, there being a groove in the inner surface of said lower wall at each side of said connecting wall.

- 5. A hollow rectangular building tile the outer surface of each of whose upper and lower walls is substantially fiat, the said uper wall having a groove in and extending along the outer surface paralleling the side walls, said upper wall having a V-shaped extension within the inner space of the tileextending toward the lower wall below the plane of the inner surface of said upper wall, said lower wall having a portion thereof extending into the inner space at each side of the median line thereof paralleling the extension of the upper wall, and having a depending substantially V-shaped extension between the portions the extremity of which lies within the outer confines of such lower wall, and a connecting wall extending between the upper and lower walls in line with the extensions of those walls, there being a groove in the inner surface of the lower wall at the base of the said connecting wall.

In testimony whereof I ailix my si nature.

ALFRED H. ST MM.

V-shaped extension between the portions the extremity of which lies within 

